249: Chapter 249 Meeting Su Liuli!

His gaze swept across the surroundings.

He saw that, centered around that withered giant black flower...

...within a radius of several thousand meters, several teams had already gathered, clearly occupying different positions.

The gazes of the prodigies from various races were all fixed firmly on the four yimu spirit hearts floating at the ends of the four main vines!

Those gazes were filled with undisguised greed and heat.

However, strangely, even though the yimu spirit hearts were close at hand and emitting tempting energy fluctuations, not a single power dared to be the first to step into the area covered by those four main vines.

They seemed to be wary of something, confronting each other with mutual vigilance.

"Hmm? She's actually here too."

A hint of surprise flashed in Qin Yan's eyes.

On the other side of the clearing, near the outskirts of the Elf Clan crowd, a slender figure dressed in a moon-white robe stood quietly.

Her robe was simple, yet it outlined her exquisite curves.

Her black hair was like ink, most of it falling naturally over her shoulders and back, with only a few strands near her temples loosely secured by an inconspicuous wooden hairpin.

Her hair shimmered with a soft luster in the hazy green light emitted by the yimu spirit hearts in the center of the clearing.

She turned slightly, her profile with its straight nose appearing exceptionally clear in the light and shadow.

Her gaze was carelessly scanning the tense situation around her.

It was indeed Su Liuli.

The moment Qin Yan's gaze fell upon her, Su Liuli in the distance also seemed to sense something and slowly turned her head.

When she saw it was Qin Yan, the corners of Su Liuli's lips slowly curled upward into a clear arc, unexpectedly revealing a hint of enchantment.

Immediately after, she took a step and walked straight toward the vine shadow where Qin Yan was hiding.

As she walked, her waist swayed gently; though her attire was quite cold and elegant, she carried a lazy and charming air.

Stopping about three steps in front of Qin Yan, Su Liuli opened her red lips and said, "Collaborate?"

She got straight to the point, her gaze firmly locked onto Qin Yan's eyes.

Hearing this, Qin Yan's brow furrowed imperceptibly, and he instantly became extremely vigilant.

This Su Liuli... seemed somewhat different from his impression.

Immediately, Qin Yan's gaze swept over the covetous prodigies of various races—the burly bodies of the Icefield Bear Clan, the sharp wings of the Storm Winged People...

Thoughts raced through his mind.

He and Su Liuli, although they had almost never communicated before and could even be called strangers...

...at this moment and place, they shared an unchangeable and unspoken identity—the Human Race.

From Blue Star, belonging to the same camp.

In this dangerous forbidden land surrounded by alien races.

The natural sense of closeness and foundation of trust brought by racial belonging far outweighed any other interest considerations for temporary alliances.

Moreover, Su Liuli's strength was unfathomable; being able to reach this place alone was already extraordinary.

Having a powerful helper with a temporarily aligned goal was undoubtedly more beneficial than harmful for his current situation.

He suppressed the strange feeling in his heart caused by the change in her demeanor and slowly nodded. "Alright."

Seeing Qin Yan agree, the smile on Su Liuli's face deepened slightly.

She turned sideways to stand shoulder to shoulder with Qin Yan, her gaze directed toward the giant dead flower in the center, and began to speak in a low voice:

"You must have just arrived, right? I've been observing here for three days and haven't seen you before."

Her voice was cold yet mixed with a hint of softness, but it was clear and organized.

Qin Yan nodded, which served as an acknowledgment.

"Then I'll briefly tell you about the situation here."

She raised her slender hand and pointed to the emerald yimu spirit hearts floating at the ends of the four main trunks. "See those four things? They are called 'yimu spirit heart,' genuine ninth-grade heavenly treasures!

And among ninth-grade resources, they belong to the top-tier category, containing the purest life origin."

"Ninth-grade resources?!"

Qin Yan's pupils suddenly constricted.

Seventh-grade resources were already an unattainable luxury for him, enough to make high-level Grandmasters fight to the death.

Ninth-grade... those were peerless treasures legendary enough to tempt Ninth-Grade Venerables or even higher existences!

"However," Su Liuli's tone changed, carrying a hint of heartbreaking regret, "these four yimu spirit hearts... now, they can probably only barely be considered seventh-grade resources."

She turned her gaze to the four incredibly thick main vines and gestured for Qin Yan to look closely. "Look there."

Qin Yan focused his gaze following her direction.

After a moment, his expression became solemn.

He saw clearly that the four main vines were not just simple supports.

On their surface, countless tiny black energy threads, almost invisible to the naked eye, were extending from deep within the vines.

They wound and permeated into the four yimu spirit hearts, continuously absorbing the vast life energy within.

The absorbed energy was then continuously transported out along the main vines and their countless branches.

"You mean... these four yimu spirit hearts are the energy source maintaining this strange Vine Forest?"

Qin Yan guessed.

Only by supplying such a vast area and supporting such a massive evil energy system...

...could it be possible for what was originally a ninth-grade peerless treasure to have its energy level drop to this point!

"Smart."

Su Liuli praised.

"Exactly. Although this giant flower is dead, its residual will or instinct has used these four spirit hearts to construct and maintain this massive 'cage'."

As they conversed in low voices, they naturally walked to a vine shadow where they could observe the whole scene without being easily noticed.

As the conversation deepened, the surprise in Qin Yan's heart grew.

He discovered that the Su Liuli before him, who seemed cold yet occasionally revealed an enchanting side, was exceptionally knowledgeable!

Whether it was the characteristics of the 'yimu spirit heart,' or the analysis of alien talents and the nature of Evil Spirits, she could speak of them with ease and unique insights.

She could provide clear and reasonable explanations for many details that confused Qin Yan or that he had never heard of.

"In that case," Qin Yan suppressed the doubts in his heart for the moment and asked the most crucial question, "why hasn't anyone stepped forward to take the spirit hearts?

Even if they've dropped to the seventh grade, they are still priceless treasures. Everyone seems to be wary of something?"

Hearing this, the smile on Su Liuli's face faded slightly, and a hint of solemnity flashed in her eyes.

She extended a slender finger, pointing to the tangled shadow corners where the main vines met the ground.

Qin Yan looked intently, and in the dark area half-hidden by black vines, he could vaguely see some unnatural grayish-white.

Upon careful identification, those were actually scattered human or beast skeletons!

The bones were dull and gray, as if all their essence had been sucked dry, scattered sporadically in the gaps between the vines.

Some were even entwined and wrapped by new tiny vines, a sight that was hair-raising.

"Those are... the remains of prodigies who previously tried to seize the spirit hearts. Their life and energy essence were sucked dry by these black vines, turning them into fertilizer to nourish this evil place."